INTRODUCTION. 



TTHIS book is issued in the hope that it may be of some interest to the 

 general pubHc, at a time when China is once again fixing the attention 

 of all Western peoples. 



In its compilation an attempt has been made to carry the imagination of 

 the general reader — by pen, brush, and film — into the very heart of the 

 Celestial Empire ; and further, to set down with accuracy, and in as com- 

 prehensive a way as possible, such facts and figures as may form a solid basis 

 for the future explorer in North China. 



Including preparations, the expedition, in the course of which these facts 

 and figures were obtained, extended over a period of eighteen months. During 

 this time about two thousand miles of road were traversed. The names of 

 convenient halting-places are, of course, mentioned as we reach them in the 

 narrative, but complete itineraries for the use of future travellers in these 

 regions are given in Appendix I., together with a table containing the 

 latitudes and longitudes of all those places, whose positions were determined 

 by observation. We venture to think that future explorers may rely safely on 

 these figures, as very great pains have been taken to ensure their accuracy, 

 and much of the route having been traversed twice, ample opportunity was 

 afforded for checking results. It should perhaps be pointed out that figures 

 given in the text are usually in round numbers, greater exactitude being 

 reserved for the Appendices. 



The large Map (scale 1/1,000,000), which accompanies the book (in a 

 pocket at the end), has been compiled from the plane-table survey made on 

 the expedition by an expert. The original survey was on the scale of four 

 miles to the inch, and the work was checked by astronomical observations, 

 taken at intervals of not more than one hundred miles, along the line of 

 march. A short description of the means and methods employed to ensure 

 accuracy, together with a slight sketch of similar work previously done in 

 the locality, will be found in Chap. XIV. For the general reader, a birds- 

 eye map is given showing the more important points along the route. 



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